Together
by TheAnimeWriterLover
Summary: Joseph and Caesar find baby Josuke on their doorstep, one night. A result from a possible drugged one-night stand. Now, they are contemplating on what to do about their situation. (Warning inside) (Modern AU)


**Author note:** This story contains past non-con/rape via drugs being done to Joseph. No scene will be provided, but the topic will be mentioned and the consequences of it. Also, please note that I don't hate Tomoko. I think she's awesome. So, please keep in mind that this is just a story. Thank you!

Caesar took in a deep breath. Slow and steady, he reminded himself. Quiet, so to not disturb the tense atmosphere.

When he opened his green eyes, they zoomed in on his fiancé. The massive figure looked so… awkward on the couch. In his muscular arms was a bundle of cloth. The usual brightness in his eyes. The laughter lines that appeared in the corner of his eyes and mouth. The mischievous smirk. All of it was gone. In their place was… everything else. Joseph's, also known as Jojo, eyes were wide with emotions that raced so fast that they tend to clash. Both men tense, for similar, but different, reasons.

The Italian turned to face the papers in his hand. One was a simple letter, with hurried scribbles that ran across. At the bottom, a named was signed. Another had more professional handwriting, a birth certificate. Finally, a legal document which gave away parental rights, with the same name signed at the bottom. He gently placed the latter two onto the table, to make sure that neither important documents were damaged. The same courtesy wasn't given to the third. It crumbled even more underneath his strong fingers, which shook from the barely contained anger that he felt towards the whole situation.

Green eyes burned at the name. The same one that matched on the birth certificate and document. One that neither he nor Joseph knew. Yet, they both had a strong feeling that they knew exactly who it was.

_How dare she?_ The words whispered in Caesar's mind. Filled with rage and poison, which sounded almost like a hiss. This made him want to run out of the house and hunt her down for an explanation. To drag her back here, and show her exactly the state that his beloved was in. To roar at her. To demand of her to take responsibilities, and _how dare she_?When he looked at the sleeping child, who looked so at peace in his father's arms, the anger grew. This child, who was merely named Josuke, was an innocent in all of this. The blonde felt further anger on behalf of the babe, who was left out in the cold, waiting for someone to come and get him. That… _woman_ barely had enough decency to knock on the door, before making a run for it.

She was a stranger. Not even from America. An exchange student. No matter how much Caesar wanted to hunt her down, the reality of the situation didn't allow him to. She left the boy in his father's hands. Went as far as to give up all parental responsibilities, and thus had no obligation to the child.

This went against _everything_ that Caesar believed in, when it came to families and responsibilities.

Caesar resisted the urge to sigh. He stared at the paper again, before he folded it and set it aside with the others. This… this didn't help Joseph's mental state. If anything, this made matters even worse. This reminded them both of that night, which left Joseph extremely vulnerable and Caesar feeling guilty beyond belief. It was supposed to be a simple college party. The last one before they graduated. While the British man wanted to go, his Italian then-boyfriend had a final exam to study for. Neither of the two knew quite what happened. Joseph swore up and down that he only grabbed the non-alcoholic drinks. Caesar believed him without a single doubt. The brunette was many things, but he didn't cheat nor was he so irresponsible.

This left two options. One, the non-alcoholic drinks were spiked, as a joke. But that didn't quite make sense, as the brunette only remembered having two drinks. If they were merely spiked with regular alcohol, then they wouldn't have gotten to him as much as they did. It took a lot more to even get him tipsy. This left the other option. One that sent a shiver of disgust down Caesar's spine. One that send Joseph back into a depression.

Someone must have drugged Joseph's drink. With a strong enough drug, that it could even take down a muscle house, like him, down.

The British man didn't remember much after the second drink. All he knew was that everything was fuzzy, before darkness settled in. When he woke up, he realized that he slept with someone, a woman. Something that, as a 100% gay man, he would have never done. The woman was rather confused. She thought that Joseph made a joke, and that he was completely into her. She was rather insistent on that so-called 'fact'. This only told the two men that it wasn't her that did the unthinkable. Though, it didn't make the situation any better.

When Joseph came to him, balling his eyes out, did Caesar learn of what happened. To this day, the blonde felt guilty. He believed that if he had sucked it up and went to the party, just that once, he could have prevented the event from happening.

It was a dark time in their life and relationship, especially for the former man. The Italian pushed him long and hard, before his British lover finally agreed to go to therapy. It helped. Not at first, as Joseph's stubborn nature mixed with depression fought against everything and everybody. But as time went by, with included support of his family, their friends and then-boyfriend, did he finally get better.

Caesar didn't think that his fiancé would stop anytime soon shying away from women that were strangers to him. It took a lot for him to stop doing so to those in his life.

But things were getting better, little by little. They thought they began to move on. Heal.

Perhaps… they should have expected something like this.

Caesar silently stood from the armchair and made his way to the couch. Joseph didn't notice his presence. His green eyes were fixed on the baby in his arms, lost in thoughts and emotions. Once he grabbed his seat, slowly and carefully, the blonde wrapped an arm around the slight larger man. His partner twitched, before subconsciously curling into his warm chest.

"What do you want to do, _amore_?"

Caesar asked gently. His voice barely above that of a whisper. He lifted a hand to rest on his lover's furthest cheek, cradling it, as the head tugged itself under his chin. The brown hair tingled his neck, which he paid no mind to.

"I don't know."

Joseph spoke up for the first time in the last few hours. His hold on the child tightened a bit, but nowhere near to be of any bother to the babe. Caesar looked at him with worry. The younger man sounded so… tired. Confused. Perhaps even defeated. Not that he blamed the man. He couldn't imagine what his partner must feel, with all these old and new emotions coming through. The taller man stiffened for a moment. As if in deep thought, he pulled away so to come face to face with his fiancé.

"I mean… I don't want to send him to an orphanage. And… we always wanted a kid."

Joseph spoke in a normal voice, except for the two thoughts. They were said in a mumble, almost terrified of what his partner thought about the clear suggestion. This was a life changing decision. Sure, they had good start to their chosen careers. They had a nice little house. The same one that they lived since the start, but now fully owned with no plans on moving out. It was big enough for two, maybe three, people. They were going to get married in a month. A lot of things that were life altering. Decisions that were made as individuals and partners, which would affect them for the rest of their lives.

But this… this wasn't a pet. It was a child. A human, living, breathing, baby, that (from the records) was barely over 3 weeks old. One that was a product of a horrible event that Joseph has yet to fully heal from.

Caesar looked from his fiancé back down to the baby. He raised a finger to pull the blanket a bit further off the face, to allow the little one to breathe better. Even though he had the expected baby fat, Josuke resembled his father strongly. The one time he opened his eyes, a familiar pair of blue eyes stared up at them. Ones that resembled Lisa Lisa, Joseph's mother. The Italian always wanted a child with his beloved. Even though they couldn't mix their DNA's together, they talked about getting a surrogate. They had some idea with rough plans outlined for the next few years about it.

In a strange way, Caesra chose to see this as a gift from God, no matter the circumstances. Who was he to deny a gift from the Lord? Who was he to deny his soon-to-be husband request, who clearly wanted to raise the child? Caesar's eyes soften when they met a worried and anxious green pair. He brought their foreheads together and wrapped an arm around the baby, in a protective hold.

"If you want to, we'll take him in."

"Are… are you sure?"

Joseph's breath hitched in shock. His eyes widened. The Italian moved in to peck his lover's forehead.

"I'm sure. We'll figure this out, _together_."


End file.
